We live in an Information Society where we are expected to deal with the constantly growing and changing world of information.
We should know how to identify, locate, evaluate, and communicate the best, most relevant, and most appropriate information, whether
it's at work, at school or in our recreation.
How do I begin?
• Understand the requirements of your assignment.
→ Who is your audience?
→ How detailed will your research need to be?
→ How many resources do you need?
→ How long does your paper have to be?
→ How much time do you have?
• Understand where/how you will find your resources.
→ Get familiar with your campus library.
→ Talk to a librarian.
→ Find out what resources are available to you.
• Make a plan.
→ Choose your topic and have it approved by your instructor. Your topic should not be too broad
or too narrow. Being too general or too specific can seriously compromise your research project.
Work through your plan so that it is completely developed and your goals are realistic.
→ Select your resources and make sure the information you've found matches what you've been asked to do. If any of your selection comes from obscure sources, you may need to consult your librarian
for availability and time allowances for possible InterLibrary Loans.
• Consider your time requirements / When is your project due?
→ Allow 20% of your time for planning / topic selection.
→ Allow 30% of your time to gather information.
→ Allow at least 50% of your time for writing and revising your project.
Considering your other obligations, be realistic about what you can accomplish in the allotted timeframe.
Do not procrastinate! Putting off your project will be reflected in what you turn in.
→ Set a goal to complete your project 3 to 7 days early. Necessary revisions are much more obvious after being away from your project a few days.
Expand your understanding! American University Library has a detailed and well presented tutorial on Information Literacy Skills
